


Fish Out Of Water

by jakerina534



Category: Lady Gaga (Musician), Rihanna (Musician)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Lady GaGa - Freeform, M/M, Princess - Freeform, Rihanna - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-08 20:45:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8860396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jakerina534/pseuds/jakerina534
Summary: Stephanie has had her life saved by a mermaid. As time goes and they get to know each other better, they feel something for each other. More than friendship.





	1. Intro

It's a quiet night and Stephanie closes her eyes as she hears the waves' vague whisper. It's so late that even the noisy seagulls aren't here to interrupt the peace around her. She opens her eyes and looks at the glittery skies that aren't behind the vague curtains of clouds as they usually are. The silver moon glow decorates the sapphire waters of the ocean. The woman takes off her pink heels and, as she walks on the velvet sand, goes further to take a swim. Curiousity takes over her, so Stephanie dives down, but sees nothing there, so she goes up. The girl sees her reflection in the crystal clear waters. Blond curls go down to her waist, making her eyes as adorable as Bambi's: naive and full of mischief. And her thin nose, her soft lips.. Stephanie looks up and sighs, seeing the beautiful castle which is more like a dungeon to her, for she had to live here for all of her 25 years. All this time, her life was like a dream come true, according to the people she knew: endless fortune, lots of important people whom she sees as often as a teacher sees her students, feasts with the kinds of food one doesn't even dream of getting for Christmas. But that's not how she sees it. The girl's parents, the King and Queen, have been planning to get her married to someone valuable, but they couldn't find anyone. However, recently, they did, bit the date isn't set yet. Stephanie has one friend, however, Archduke Anthony Bennett, or, as she calls him, Tony.

But loud sounds of thunderstorm interrupt her peaceful and yet, upsetting thoughts. However, before the Princess tries to get out, the waves that were absolutely harmless a moment ago, started drowning her. Darkness and numbness takes over Stephanie, so she goes down to the water unwillingly.

But a mysterious person appears and she pulls out the Princess to the shore. A brief moment of glittery dust appearing in the air. amd the girl wakes up to see her savior. It's a beautiful young woman with gorgeous ebony black hair, loose over her fragile shoulders. The Princess is surprised to see her, for the heroic stranger doesn't look like all of the people she has seen throughout her entire life: dark skin and curvy lips that make her look like a child from a faraway land. But she's 23(as she later tells the Princess) and Stephanie is 21.

\- "Holy tritons!" - the stranger exclaims with her deep and husky voice and then asks - "What are you looking at, if you don't mind me asking?"

Something unusual about that girl catches Stephanie's eye. The young woman doesn't have legs. Instead, she has a long and gorgeous ruby fishtail.

\- "My name is Rihanna. What's yours?" - the mermaid asks, curious about the outcome of the conversation.

\- "Stephanie." - the Princess mutters, wondering if she is asleep or not. But she realizes what surprises her new acquaintance: her tiara was peeking out of the tiny sandy hills.

\- Your Highness, I'm truly surprised you have never seen a mermaid before in your life

The girl frowns and blurts out: "Don't call me that way, please. Call me by my name."

But as the mermaid is about to go back to the waters, Stephanie asks if she'd be able to see her tomorrow.

\- "I don't know" - she replies, diving down into the ocean, after waving goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second day of the Princess and her savior together. But trouble joins the party.

The princess wakes up after the long and hard night and the encounter. Stephanie was thinking about her savior the entire night and this time, she sits on her bed and wonders why Rihanna concerns her so much. Before the Princess could say anything, a voice calls her: "Your Highness, there's someone here to see you." The girl goes back to the beach and sees someone she didn't expect to see: the mermaid. But due to the fact that the one who called her is the woman who used to be her nanny, so the Princess hides her surprise and asks her ex-nanny to tell the servants to find some clothes for the mermaid.   
But Stephanie is even more surprised as she sees long and beautiful legs instead of Rihanna's ruby fish tail.  
"I didn't know this was possible. I'm glad to see you anyway. By the way, you're the only one who can hear me. For now." - Rihanna says, answering Stephanie's silent questions.  
The Princess smiles and then notices her nanny's slightly outraged expression, which demanded an explanation. The girl knows that becoming one of the fools that went for the "distant relative" trick wouldn't work(her nanny is good at catching lies), so she confesses that she met Rihanna after dusk. Essentially, she doesn't mention the fact that her accomplice is not really a human, and the fact that she almost drowned. Feeling content with the odd, but true story, the old woman leaves and takes Rihanna with her.  
Stephanie waits for her savior and sits by the enormous table, with the amount of food big enough to feed an army. She sighs, looking around and seeing every single bit of the place she loathed with her entire soul. The plates, golden, as if they were touched by Midas, pointed out the Princess's wealth and social status. The food that one doesn't even see in his dreams - she's tasted it all. The pearly walls and curvy columns, and the seemingly fragile furniture that borrowed various elements from all of the cultures known to man - this makes Stephanie wish she was poor at least for a day. And the paintings of the royal family - she could draw them without having them in front of her.  
Stephanie hears the quiet sound of heels and loses her ability to speak, dazzled by her new friend's beauty. Rihanna appears before her friend in a mint-shaded dress that emphasized the beauty of her dark skin and complimented her waist and fragile arms. The long black hair is pinned up, looking like a bouquet of black roses. She has one flower peeking out of her unusual hairdo: a pink orchid. The princess feels the scents that she has never felt before and the mermaid explains that those scents remind her of her home.  
She sits by the table. Captured by the abyss of Rihanna's dark eyes, she forgets about the special occasion everything was prepared for. The Queen shows up and whispers: "You do know Tiffany is coming tonight, right? Also, would you mind telling me about the girl you're sitting in front of?" Stephanie, trying not to sound shy, blurts out: "Yes, Mother, I remember. She's a friend of mine, Mother." The Queen looks like the older version of Stephanie, but with some differences. Her long, shiny chocolate-shaded hair vaguely glows in the sunlight (that peeks through the big windows), accompanied by her sapphire eyes and pale skin.  
The Queen vanishes, for she needs to greet the guests. Rihanna, however, is full of questions: "Who's Tiffany? Is that woman who has just left your mother? Why do you look so scared? What's going on?"  
"She's my so-called "niece". Yes, that woman is my mother. I'm not sure, but you're not gonna like it, so, please, leave" - Stephanie replies.  
She has a very good reason to be scared, though. Tiffany is the daughter of her mother's close friend. The girl is the kind of person who is morally ugly, but her deceitful aura of innocence fools everybody successfully, so everything is forgiven and forgotten. Tiffany's goal is to marry Stephanie's brother and to become a Queen.  
The princess' brother is currently absent, but he manages to be barely noticeable when he is present. People don't know much about him, but Stephanie always feels that Tyler(her brother) has something to hide. She doesn't know what exactly, which makes the mystery seem more ominous.  
"They're here" - the Queen announces and the Princess stand up, unable to speak or move. Trouble is close and she knows it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiffany now starts reminding me of Donald Trump. Maybe I spend way too much time on the political side of the Internet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically "double trouble", if to describe it briefly. But there are some good moments, however.

Just as Rihanna is about to go to the ballroom, she feels someone push her out of the way. She looks down and sees a short girl. Her big lips and seemingly capricious blue eyes make her look more like a child than a woman who is old enough to be a queen. Her brown curls are pinned up, revealing her fragile neck, pointed out by a locket with the coat of arms of her family: an eagle that keeps a mouse in its claws. This girl is Tiffany and her ignorant behavior is the trouble Stephanie tried to warn the mermaid about. But Rihanna is in disarray and can't even mutter a word to express her outrage and shock. She stares at Tiffany and the brat giggles, saying: "Oh, no need to tell me, servant, I know you want to be in my shoes." And then sighs, imitating pity: "But, what a shame, life has made it clear that it will never happen. So don't cry for a hope that is as unrealistic as me being disowned by the Queen. Don't stand in front of me and bring me some salad."

Tiffany leaves and the mermaid, hiding her pain and feeling of offense, runs out of the castle to come back home, into the ocean.

Stephanie notices Tiffany in the dining room and, avoiding her pretentiously kind stare, leaves. She looks for her new friend, but feels the desire to go to the beach. She obeys it, feeling like she has no other option. The Princess finds her standing on the shallow part of the ocean. She takes Rihanna's hand and the girl breaks into a rant: "Why should I stay in your world? Why am I hoping to be with you if this place gives opportunities of actual success to the ones who are supposed to be outcasts? Give me one good reason why I should stay, enduring Tiffany or some other disrespectful person? I.."

And at that moment, stephanie is unable to hear Rihanna's rants, but is concerned about the urge to do something. She comes closer to the mermaid, and then, taking a deep breath, the princess's and the mermaid's lips meet.The oceanic scent is in the air and her lips feel so soft and tender..The mermaid is in absolute disarray. She doesn't know what to think about what happened between her and the princess, but she has this vague sense of shame. Stephanie longs for more, but the mermaid runs back into the castle and stutters, saying "see you tomorrow"

The girl is disappointed. She doesn't understand what she feels about her friend. It's not hate, it's not friendship. It's something else. Something more serious. But trouble turns out to be double in her case and Stephanie sees the King and Queen smiling like never before.

The King looks like a Greek statue brought to life: strong facial features harmoniously compliment his kind fatherly expression. Broad shoulders are emphasized by his firm stand. And his mysterious green eyes accompany his dark hair.

The Queen tells her that she has found a match for her. A Prince from a faraway kingdom. Only this time, it's not the child of her friend like Tiffany is. The Queen giggles and says: "I can see that you're speechless. The wedding day is the day after tomorrow."

Her parents leave and Stephanie slowly goes back into the castle. But she accidentally knocks someone of his feet.

"Heavens, Stephanie, do you ever watch where you're going?" - a familiar rough voice says. 

It's her brother and he never aborts his visits ubless the situation is serious. He's shorter than his sister, but the resting serious expression on his face reveals their age gap. Blond hair point out the abyss of his dark eyes.

And Stephanie asks him if he knows the aforementioned Prince. Tyler freezes. He is unsure of what he should do or say, for he doesn't want to reveal his secret to his sister. But, understanding that his silence is even more suspicious, the Prince takes a deep breath and dryly admits that he, in fact, does know the Prince personally. Trying not to look shy, the sibling changes the topic and asks Stephanie about the tiny dispute between Tiffany and Rihanna, technically, looking for a payback for his embarrasment.

Stephanie is in an emotional trap of the same feelings, but she mutters: "Nothing special. Mind your business, Tyler." 

Her brother leaves and she goes to her room.

It looks like one big garden: various flowers everywhere, furniture of the most tender shades known to man. And the soft, king-sided bed is a perfect match to the chairs and the beauty table with cupids carved on their frames.

The Princess sees her friend sitting on a chair, staring at a window in front of her. The girl is searching for an explanation for the kiss and so is the mermaid, so Rihanna asks, not looking at Stephanie: "Why do I feel this way? You're not a man!"

"I'm not sure. But I have this desire to be with you. We'll figure everything out together." - the Princess replies, wrapping her arms around the mermaid.

"I want to do it again." - the mermaid confesses, not knowing what would happen next.

"What are we waiting for?" - the Princess asks, as Rihanna gets up from the chair, turns around and comes to Stephanie.


	4. Chapter 4

This time, they don't avoid looking into each other's eyes. Rihanna strokes Stephanie's golden locks and their lips meet again and again. It's like a trap, but not a bad one. In fact, they wish this captive moment would never end. And Stephanie strokes the mermaid's back. She stops the Princess and says: "No. Only after the wedding, remember?"

Stephanie feels like she got stabbed, for her parents are going to matchmake her with a person she's never met before. And, of course, she wants it to be her friend instead of that guy.

Rihanna notices the alert in her eyes and asks the Princess about it. Avoiding her cautious stare, Stephanie replies, stuttering: "Never mind. It's nothing." "You seem tired. Let's go to sleep." - the mermaid offers, as she is about to go to her room. Stephanie sees the escape route in that offer, so she agrees. She doesn't want to lie to her beloved - keeping this wedding a secret is basically lying.

The Princess wakes up as the first rays of the sun shoot into her room, coming through the window. The mermaid left a note, saying she wanted to meet Tyler.

All of a sudden, her joy changes into anger. Stephanie doesn't understand the reason to her anger, but she feels like the love of her life was stolen. Tyler didn't seem to be a threat to her earlier, only this time, the Princess feels like sending him to the fiery pits of hell. She changes into a more festive dress and as the girl runs down the stairs into the hallway, she comes across her mother and a stranger who seems despicably suspicious.

"Oh, darling, you're awake. You are now officially on a date. I'm sure you'll love him. Now, could you please kiss each other? You have to make it all perfect by the wedding day." - the Queen chatters, annoying Stephanie with her senseless rush and nosiness.

But, since she has to accept that side of her mother, the Prince whispers: "Let's do this." And she obeys her mother's semi-order.

Strangely, the kiss felt "dry", not giving even a piece of what Rihanna's kisses would give the Princess. Both of them felt reluctance, however, his reluctance surprises Stephanie more than anything ever could.

The Queen leaves and they go to the dining room, knowing no one would be here on this day.

\- "Just to let you know, I hate this arranged marriage just like you do. I'm Joseph." - the Prince says, taking a bow.

\- "What do you mean?" - Stephanie asks, startled by his words and him feeling the same kind of romantic indiffrence to her as she does to him.

\- "To make it outrageously easy to understand, I don't like ladies in the way our parents expect us to." - he replies, feeling slightly insulted by the Princess's slight cluelessness and then adds - "Neither does your brother."

\- "You must be making a fool out of me." - she says, still unable to understand what's going on.

\- "I am not. Your brother has his eyes on me and it's ridiculously obvious." - Joseph says, as his slightly upset mood switches to irritation.

\- "How are we going to call off the wedding?" - Stephanie asks, worried about the upcoming scandal between her and Rihanna. 

The Prince starts laughing and his frown shows the idiotsy in what the Princess has just said. He then says that death could've helped them, but at their age, accidental passing is barely possible.

\- "He'll have a wedding, too. But don't bother telling him you know. He'll be able to get out of this in a way that you'd actually believe him and move on." - Joseph notes, taking a sip of mushroom soup.

\- "Can we get a divorce?" - she asks, looking for a way to get back with the mermaid.

The Prince breaks into laughter again. "People with strong imagination and little logic are the funniest. If that's where you're heading, I could end your misery by getting you beheaded. Or you could get the country to hate us and get us BOTH beheaded." - he smirks, knowing that escaping this doom is impossible.


	5. Chapter 5

They hear the doors open and Joseph grabs Stephanie and hastily kisses her, fearing that her parents came in. But they look in front of them and see Rihanna and Tyler.

Rihanna, left speechless by what she has seen, runs away, without looking back. The Princess runs after her, knowing that there's no guarantee that she'll catch the mermaid in time. Her brother, hoping that Joseph won't notice the disappointment in his voice and expression, whispers: "I hope you'll be happy tomorrow."

******************************************************************

Joseph

Side note: this chapter is separated into 2 parts to give the perspective of Stephanie and her arranged spouse.

Joseph catches him by the hand, hoping the Princess' brother would understand the hint, for he's unable to admit his feelings for Tyler verbally. 

As the Prince tries to say a word, he immediately feels like his breath was taken, so he tries to express his true emotions with the desperate glow in his deep blue eyes.

Alas, to Tyler it's another Mantua message, so he, abhoring all the rules and formalities he solemnly respected and followed, kisses Stephanie's brother. To both of them, it feels great, but Tyler knows that there's strong bitterness as he is saying goodbye to the future newlywed, coming back to his nomadic way of life after the wedding day.

Joseph was never drunkened by feelings before, for his rational mind is like a special kind of religion to him. He has never been that close with guys, let alone his long-term crush.

So the sensation gives him a long, blinding moment before he could notice Tyler's absense.

The realization that he has to form a reluctant bond with the one who doesn't want it, either, hits him like a truck, so he takes his carriage and rides home to prepare for the wedding.

******************************************************************

Stephanie. 

The sky is in sorrows, just like the mermaid, as the Princess guesses, staring at the waters she can't even enter, for they burn her feet the moment Stephanie tries to enter the shallow part of the ocean. Rihanna does not desire to talk to the one who has just kissed another person before her eyes. A cold breeze sets in, but Stephanie still waits for the woman she actually loves.

Before she goes back into the castle, the Princess leaves Rihanna an invitation to the event they both loathe. And as she is about to enter the castle, the mermaid peeks out and takes the invitation. Stephanie turns around and notices her cold and depressed stare. "Thank you." - she responds, giving the Princess the cold shoulder. Rihanna knows she can't ignore the invitation, for the Queen insists "Stephanie's little friend" to be present on that day. So she dives back, avoiding the sight of Stephanie's face.

Instead of going to sleep, Stephanie messages the Archduke, asking him to talk to her. The Princess didn't have to wait for too long. Anthony enters the hallway and finds the girl there. Stephanie tells him everything, not even considering that his reaction may be negative. She needs some guidance, someone who'd listen to her, for her brother isn't an option anymore. 

Anthony is left speechless. He takes the Princess's tender hand and says: "I'm sorry. May God help you find a solution. Tears roll down her ruby cheeks and she, holding back her sorrow, replies: "Let's hope for the best."

Anthony heads to the exit and informs the Princess that the Queen has invited him, too.

Some relief and optimism is found in his future presense. But how does she make it up to her true love, Rihanna?


	6. Chapter 6

Awakened by her mother sitting on her bed, Stephanie prepares every bit of her soul fo the worst day in her life.

She comes into the dressing room and finds her wedding gown. The Princess looks at it with such bitterness, it felt like she'd be buried in it. But she finds a note where the Archduke offers her an idea: that true love's kiss will keep Rihanna with her. As Stephanie is about to throw it away, seeing the idea as absurd(because it's inspired by fairytales), she snaps, for this may be her only opportunity.

Thankfully, the groom is not supposed to see the bride before the wedding, so she is allowed to have some peace.

But as she hears someone slam the doors open, Stephanie realizes that peace is something she can't even dream of, especially after what happened yesterday.

"I can't believe you did this to me" - the mermaid says, sobbing. - "I hope this union will be a good one and I wish the both of you good luck."

Moments later, Stephanie walks down the aisle on a ship headed to Joseph's castle. They greet each other with apolegetic glances, unable to leave the ship right away. The Princess looks at the guests, looking for Rihanna in the crowd of people she has never seen before in her life. The mermaid is standing of the edge of the ship, waiting for the final rays to vanish. If to look at things her way, she realized how corrupt the human world is, so home is a better option.

Anthony gets irritated by the big lie in the whole ceremony, so he offers the Queen to call off the wedding. She looks around, baffled by what the Archduke has told her, demanding to know if it's true or not.

Time is passing by and Joseph chooses to hastily kiss Tyler. Stephanie does the same.

The Queen is bedazzled and torn apart by guilt. She wanted her daughter to be happy, but didn't even think that she'd be the monster by setting a marriage between people who aren't into each other.

The Queen comes to her daughter, wanting to apologize for everything, but her teary eyes say it all. They embrace and Stephanie carresses her shoulder, mouthing: "All is forgiven."

The Queen takes the King with her and with a short declaration, she makes them happy: "From this day forth, everyone can marry whomever they please."

The Princess looks at Tyler and Joseph, and smiles, as they waltz together(just like the guests), kissing each other.

Her mother comes over and says: "Something's missing."

\- What is it? 

\- You'll see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know that if to fuse the names into one, it'll be the name of the singer from Twenty One Pilots. Here's to Medieval marriage equality in fics!


	7. Epilogue

\- "Don't open your eyes yet, sweetheart." - Rihanna says, fixing the white lace sleeves that complimented Stephanie's slim arms.

\- "Aren't you supposed to not see me before the wedding?" - the Princess asks, slightly embarrassed by her senseless question.

\- "I'm not a groom." - the mermaid replies, holding back her laughter.

\- Is it time to look?

\- I guess so.

Stephanie opens her eyes and is slightly confused. A white feather pin decorated her golden locks. The dress is a mix of lace, "fishnet" and silk that showed what Rihanna saw in the Princess: an angel.

Then, the future newlywed looks at her future wife and is even more charmed by her, than the mermaid is. Rihanna is a lot more different: her soft, seemingly adolescent face was glowing under the halo of soft and glowy black curls. The slimming blue dress refers to her heritage. But her arms are hidden behind wide velvet sleeves.

\- "You look marvellous." - Stephanie says, barely keeping her tears of joy back.

\- "So do you." - Rihanna says, looking at her bride.

*********************************************************

Tyler.

\- "OK, so I'm not gonna do the surprise thing, just come into my room, you already saw me." - Tyler says, having a couple of wedding jokes in mind for his future husband.

\- "Works for me." - Joseph replies, feeling a little alerted by Tyler's mischievous tone. - "I've had enough of surprises for now. And, please, no "bride-groom" jokes."

\- "What do you mean?" - the Prince asks, pretending to be clueless.

\- "The "groom shouldn't see the bride before the wedding" hell. It's insulting. I can tell, this kind of jokes is on your mind." - Joseph replies, opening the door and entering Tyler's room.

\- "Fine." - Tyler replies, feeling a bit disappointed.

The guys have matching suits(which was Tyler's idea, for his prankster nature woke up). Joseph admits that he doesn't like the comic part of the situation, but then he adds: "You may be a foolish entertainer, but I do like you. That's what matters."

*******************************************************

Stephanie.

The moment that they have never expected to happen has come and they close their eyes and open them, being afraid that they're just dreaming.

After exchanging vows, Tyler's and Joseph's lips meet. But the mermaid wants some privacy, so she takes the Princess into the ballroom. 

Various shades of golden and beige emphasize the wealth of her family. Statues of Greek goddesses resemble the beauty Stephanie obviously sees in Rihanna, and a white bust of Sappho is places on one of the four windows framed by roses and cupids. And the ceiling is decorated by paintings of angels.

\- "I don't mind being public, but privacy is important, too, right?" - the mermaid asks, inviting Stephanie to dance with her.

\- "True." - the Princess whispers, stroking Rihanna's hair

\- We're finally together!

\- Forever.

\- Let's do our best to keep it that way.

They stop dancing and then they wrap their arms around each other. Finally, the mermaid's and the Princess's lips meet, whispering "I love you." to each other.

\- The guests are waiting.

\- Oh, yeah, let's go.

They leave the ballroom, holding hands, showing the strength of each other's bond.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if I suck at describing mlm relationships.


End file.
